As members of the priesthood, Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth were celebrities; the birth of their first son was no minor event, it was practically the talk of the town. Needless to say, the circumcision ceremony held in the Jerusalem temple was well attended and drew the crowds. Everybody knew that Zachariah had not spoken in a long time, and rumor had it that their child was special because of the unusual circumstances leading up to Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
Then, in the middle of the circumcision ceremony, there was confusion. It was tradition that the first male child carried on his father’s name; “Zachariah” would have been the logical name choice. But then Elizabeth interfered; she insisted that their son’s name was supposed to be “John”. Immediately the attention turned to her husband Zachariah.
For the past nine months Zachariah had witnessed his wife’s and his visiting niece Mary’s pregnancy, both announced by angels, both a miracle. Initially he had doubted God’s messenger, and had been silenced by God because of it. His predicament, however, had given him the opportunity to contemplate, which seemed to have softened his heart; as a result Zachariah rose up to the occasion a much humbler man; and when publicly addressed with the question of how to name his son, His answer on the writing tablet was very clear: “John”, just as God’s angel had requested in their earlier encounter.
It was then and there that God broke his silence, and the first words coming out of Zachariah’s mouth were heartfelt praise. In his prophetic address he mentioned Mary’s son first. It was in his closing remarks that he turned his attention to his firstborn (Luke 1:76):
“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him”
Zachariah’s transformation is a miracle in its own right and illustrates how God can profoundly change a person. When we give our heart to God He gives us a new perspective – while turning our life around in the process.
Thought Of The Day 